There is nothing worse and more guilt-inducing than when your child asks you to play with them but you are just simply too tired. Thankfully, though, there are few games that you can play that don’t require a lot of energy, and we have listed them below. 

Most of the following can be played lying down, while you’re in bed or, in the case of Hide And Seek, if you find a really good spot you’ll get a few minutes of alone time to enjoy and embrace.
 

Beauty Salon – Simply sit there while they brush your hair and paint your nails. Bliss.
 
Snap –The card game is easy to explain and easy to get through. No thinking involved and if you really want it to end quickly you can just let the kids win.
 

Guess The Song – This one could work for older kids. Simply pop on a Spotify playlist and try to guess the name of the song. And once you’ve made your guess you’ll get at least three minutes of quiet time while you listen to the end of the song.
 
Connect Four – You don’t even need to move off the couch to enjoy this one. And if you’re feeling really lazy you can play it in bed with a book or something hard underneath to balance it out.
 
What’s On My Back? –Basically your kids roll various different things on your back and you have to guess what it is. Just stay away from food items and anything wet otherwise you’ll have to clean it up, and that's the last thing you want. 
 
Hide And Seek –Just make sure you find a really good spot so that you can enjoy ten minutes of peace.

Eye Spy –The best type of game to play when you’re tired is one that doesn’t involve any form of moving. Eye Spy is a good one for this.

Storytime – One of you starts a story and the other person has to finish it. If you really let your child run away with an idea, you should be able to squeeze at least 15 minutes of rest out of them.
 

Written by Mary Byrne, Content Executive at Family Friendly HQ. Follow her on Twitter: @marybyrne321